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Amateur Etymologist Fun

Most native English speakers hate hearing the word rucksack. For some reason, it grates on their senses. Did you know that there’s more to this ugly noun than meets the ear? There’s a reason why the synonym for backpack is the way it is. First of all, English is a Germanic language. The German word for back, the body part your mom constantly complains about, is Ruecken. Der Ruecken is theback, for example. Do you see the connection? Rucksack. Ruecken. In addition, the German word Sack translates to bag in English.